Bad health care, bad reporting

From the BBC-

Japan's health minister has pledged to address the shortage of doctors in the country after a woman in labour was turned away by eight hospitals.

A ninth hospital refused to admit her even after she miscarried in an ambulance and her baby died.

The woman, who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, lived just three minutes away from a hospital.

But she was forced to travel 70km (45 miles) by ambulance looking for a facility that would admit her.

The woman, who lives in the countryside, called an ambulance in the middle of the night because she was suffering from stomach pains and bleeding.

For more than an hour the ambulance crew tried to find a hospital to accept her. Eight refused.

Then on the way to a ninth hospital the ambulance crashed and the woman miscarried. The hospital then changed its mind and refused to admit her.

An official told ambulance staff that treatment would be difficult and they were already busy with an emergency operation.

Eventually, almost three hours after they first arrived to pick her up, the ambulance crew found a hospital that would take her.

What a tragedy has to die when there is health care available but no one willing to act. There is nothing worse for a parent than to lose a child.

I'm not going to use this episode to hammer national healthcare, because I'm well aware of fiascos in countries like the US which has private medicine. The trouble with national healthcare, is that medicine has to be rationed. There are only so many dollars for care, doctors, hospitals, for the government is either running people's healthcare services directly or indirectly. As someone whose worked in the healthcare industry and being a cancer, I know the many faults US care has. National healthcare isn't the answer.

Also note, the above article says the mother was in the sixth month and had a miscarriage. That is too late for a miscarriage, which take place no later than 20 weeks, which is part way through the fifth month(or fourth depending on how its counted by doctor and mother). Either the Reuters reporter or the source of his information needs to brush up on pregnancy.

Hat tip- Captain's Quarters
Linked to- Mad Pigeon, Right Wing Nation, Rosemary, The World According to Carl,